Neck assembly for infant simulator

ABSTRACT

An infant simulator comprising a doll equipped with a realistically floppy neck and a means for sensing and recording or reporting instances in which the head has not been properly supported during handling and allowed to flop into an unacceptable bent position.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention broadly relates to the field of simulated child care.More specifically, the invention relates to infant simulators used ineducational programs for educating prospective parents about therealities of parenthood, assisting in the education and training ofpersonnel entering the child-care profession, and assisting in thecontinuing education of persons working in the child-care profession.

BACKGROUND

Teen-age pregnancy is an ever increasing problem. Teen-age parents,surveyed as to why they elected to have a baby, gave such reasons as"babies are so cute," "I wanted attention," "I needed someone to loveand love me back." Such romantic feelings toward having a baby almostnever include an understanding of the responsibilities imposed by ababy, including loss of sleep, loss of freedom, the need for constantattention, etc. Attempts to educate teen-agers about the trials andtribulations of caring for an infant and raising a child using thetraditional educational methods of lecture and readings are rarelysuccessful.

Some resourceful educators, realizing that traditional educationalmethods are not working, have attempted to demonstrate the carerequirements of an infant by requiring students to carry a sack offlour, an egg or a plant throughout an assignment for a period of one toseveral days. While somewhat exemplary of the care requirements of aninfant, such programs do not fairly represent the care requirements ofan actual infant and have proven to be of limited success.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,948 issued to Burks and U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,644issued to Kelley describe dolls that will wet a diaper after being fedfrom a bottle. Such dolls are not useful for educating students aboutthe trials and tribulations of caring for an infant as the feeding andwetting cycle is under control of the user. The student, unless underconstant supervision by an educator, can feed and change the doll on aschedule selected by the student.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,338 issued to Wexler disclosed a doll which emits acrying sound when a manually operated switch is actuated. The user mustthen determine which of several actions (e.g., feeding, diaper changingor back patting) will turn off the crying sound. While interesting as aplaything, this doll suffers from the same drawback as the "feed andwet" dolls in that activation of the crying actuation switch is undercontrol of the user. The student, unless under constant supervision byan educator, can activate the switch and change the doll on a scheduleselected by the student.

A particularly useful infant simulator system for use in educatingstudents about the care requirements of an infant is described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,443,388 issued to Jurmain et al. and assigned to the assigneeof this application. The infant simulator includes such useful featuresas periodically crying throughout an assignment period on a schedulewhich is unknown to the student, with the student required to takeappropriate responsive action.

It is well known and understood by those who have cared for an infantthat it is absolutely necessary to continuously support the head of theinfant whenever the infant is held. Infants are simply incapable ofsupporting their own head in an upright position for several monthsafter birth. Failure to support the head when handling an infant canresult in serious injury should the head flop backward.

A number of dolls have been designed with floppy necks, including thepsychotherapy doll disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,494 issued to Woodsand the training doll disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,351 issued toGonzalez. However, neither of these dolls provide a realistic bending ofthe neck, (e.g., the neck of the doll disclosed in Gonzalez is simplypinched by a sew line to permit flopping of the head), nor do theyinclude instrumentation to monitor and record undesirable flopping ofthe head.

Accordingly, there is a continuing need for an improved infant simulatorsuitable for use in educational programs for educating prospectiveparents about the realities of parenthood, assisting in the educationand training of personnel entering the child-care profession, andassisting in the continuing education of persons working in thechild-care profession that realistically demonstrates the head supportrequired by infants and includes a monitoring means for allowing aneducator or other instructor to ascertain whether the head has beenproperly supported by the student throughout an assignment period.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The infant simulator of the present invention is a doll equipped with arealistically floppy neck and a means for sensing and recording orreporting instances in which the head has not been properly supportedduring handling and allowed to flop into an unacceptable position.

In a first embodiment, the doll includes a head floppily connected to atorso and is equipped with (i) a head-position sensing unit for sensingthe flopped position of the head relative to the torso as between anacceptable position(s) and an unacceptable position(s), and (ii) a datarecording unit in communication with the head-position sensing unit forrecording a sensed positioning of the head in an unacceptable position.This embodiment is effective for sensing instances in which the head hasbeen allowed to flop into an unacceptable position and recording suchinstances for subsequent review by a program supervisor.

In a second embodiment, the doll includes a head floppily connected to atorso and is equipped with (i) a head-position sensing unit for sensingthe flopped position of the head relative to the torso as between anacceptable position(s) and an unacceptable position(s), and (ii) asignal generating unit in communication with the head-position sensingunit for generating a perceptible distress signal when the head issensed in an unacceptable position. This embodiment is effective forsensing instances in which the head has been allowed to flop into anunacceptable position and signaling the student (e.g., a scream, a loudcry, a red light, etc.) that the head has flopped into an unacceptableposition due to a lack of head support during handling.

The doll may optionally be equipped with both a data recording unit anda signal generating unit in combination with the head-position sensingunit.

A specific embodiment of a floppy neck assembly capable of providingrealistic movement of the head relative to the torso, includes (i) acurved neck tube having a first end engaged by a first receiving collarwithin an opening in the torso and a second end engaged by a secondreceiving collar within an opening in the head, wherein the neck tube isslidably engaged within at least one of the first and second receivingcollars, and (ii) a guiding mechanism for restricting movement of thehead relative to the torso between a first position wherein the head isaligned with the torso, and a second position wherein the head is tiltedback relative to the torso. The floppy neck assembly is configured andarranged so that the head is gravitationally biased toward the firstposition (i.e., aligned with the torso) when the torso is in a generallyvertical position and gravitationally biased toward the second position(i.e., tilted back relative to the torso) as the torso approaches agenerally horizontal position.

The invention further includes a method of training a person to properlysupport the head of a young infant by assigning the infant simulator ofthe present invention to the person for an assignment period. When theinfant simulator includes a data recording unit, the method can furtherinclude a review of the data recorded by the infant simulator during theassignment period and a discussion of such data with the person.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an infant simulator equipped with oneembodiment of a floppy neck assembly of this invention, with the headflopped backward into an unacceptable position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the floppy neck assembly shown in FIG.1, with a portion thereof cut away to reveal internal components.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the floppy neck assembly shown in FIGS. 1and 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the receiving collar attached to the torsoshown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 is a section view of the torso receiving collar shown in FIG. 4taken along line 5--5 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the floppy neck assembly shown inFIGS. 1-3, with a portion thereof cut away to reveal internalcomponents, showing the floppy neck assembly in an acceptable restposition.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the floppy neck assembly shown inFIG. 6, with a portion thereof cut away to reveal internal components,showing the floppy neck assembly in an unacceptable bent position.

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of the infant simulator of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Definitions

As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase "assignmentperiod," means the period of time during which the infant simulator isactivated and the assigned person or team is given custody of the infantsimulator (e.g., overnight, 48 hours, one week).

As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase "bent-neckepisode," refers to the period of time during which the head of the dollis sensed in an unacceptable position. Each bent-neck episode beginswhen a the head is sensed in an unacceptable position and a bent-neckoccurrence recorded and/or a distress signal generated, and ends whenthe head is sensed in an acceptable position.

As utilized herein, including the claims, the term "doll" means a figurerepresentative of a human being and including at least a portionrepresenting a head and a portion representing a torso. The figure ispreferably shaped as an infant and includes arms and legs. Otherphysical features can be represented as desired, including specifically,but not exclusively, hair, eyes, eye lashes, eyebrows, ears, nose,mouth, hands, fingers, fingernails, areolae, bellybutton, genitalia,feet, toes, toenails, skin pigmentation, and physical deformities.

As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase "distress period,"when used in connection with the generation of a distress signal, meansa time period of predetermined duration or bounded random durationbeginning immediately or shortly after sensing of an unacceptablepositioning of the head.

As utilized herein, including the claims, the term "infant" refers to ayoung human being ranging in age from a newborn, including a prematurenewborn, to an approximately one-year old child.

As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase "perceptiblesignal" means any and all means of communication capable of conveyingnotice or warning to a person, including specifically, but notexclusively audible signals (e.g., crying), olfactory signals (e.g.,emission of odorous gas), tactile signals (e.g., wet diaper), visualsignals (e.g., gesture), and multimedia signals (e.g., crying andtears).

As utilized herein, including the claims, the term "position," includesboth the singular and the plural form, such that sensing a "position"includes both sensing a specific singular position, sensing specificmultiple positions or sensing a position within a defined range ofpositions.

As utilized herein, including the claims, the phrase "trip angle," meansthe angle α at which the head is first sensed as having moved betweenacceptable and unacceptable positions by a head position sensor. Inother words, angles α less than the trip angle represent acceptable headpositions which do not result in the recording of a bent-neckoccurrence, while angles α greater than and equal to the trip anglerepresent unacceptable head positions and result in the recording of abent-neck occurrence.

Nomenclature

10 Infant Simulator or Doll

12 Curved Neck Tube Assembly

14 Torso

16 Head

18 First Retention Collar

20 Opening in Torso

21 Opening in Head

22 Curved Neck Tube

22a First End of Neck Tube

22b Second End of Neck Tube

22f Front (Smoothly Curved) Surface of Neck Tube

22r Rear (Sharply Angled) Surface of Neck Tube

23 Inner Flange in the First Retention Collar

24 Second Retention Collar

26 Stop Tab

28 Finger

30 Pivot Pins

32 Notch In First Retention Collar

34 Closed End Channel

36 Transverse Grooves

40 Toggle Switch

42 Lead Wires

50 Central Processing Unit

100x Central Longitudinal Axis Through First Retention Collar

200x Central Longitudinal Axis Through Second Retention Collar

α Angle Defined by Central Longitudinal Axes 100x and 200x.

Construction

As shown in FIG. 1, the infant simulator 10 comprises a doll 10 having aneck assembly 12 connecting a head 16 to a torso 14 in such a mannerthat the head 16 can flop backward relative to the torso 14 unlessproperly supported by a care provider. The neck assembly 12 is designedto provide a realistically appearing neck as well as a realisticmovement of the head 16 relative to the torso 14 when the head is notproperly supported.

The doll 10 preferably has the appearance of a young infant (e.g.,approximately 40 to 80 cm in length and approximately 3 to 5 kg inweight). The doll 10 can be sculpted to depict the skin color and facialfeature of various ethnic groups including specifically, but notexclusively, African American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic, and NativeAmerican.

The neck assembly 12 includes a switch 40 that is biased in an openposition and closed whenever the head 16 moves a sufficient distancealong the curved neck tube 22. When the switch 40 is closed, a bent-necksignal is transmitted along lead wires 42 to a central processing unit50 of the sort detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,388 issued to Jurmain etal. and assigned to the assignee of this application. The centralprocessing unit 50 is designed and programmed to (i) record receipt ofthe bent-neck signal as a bent-neck occurrence and/or (ii) communicatethe bent-neck occurrence via a signal generating means capable ofproducing a distress signal in response to receipt of the bent-necksignal. Other data can also be recorded and/or processed by the centralprocessing unit 50 as desired.

When a distress signal is generated in response to receipt of abent-neck signal, the central processing unit 50 may optionally continuethe distress signal, (e.g., screaming) for a predetermined period oftime (e.g., 10 seconds to 10 minutes), much as an infant would beexpected to continue screaming and/or crying after experiencing such atraumatic event.

As shown in FIGS. 1-7, the neck assembly 12 includes (i) a curved necktube 22 having a first end 22a, a second end 22b, a smoothly curvedfront surface 22f, and a sharply angled rear surface 22r, (ii) a firstreceiving means, such as a first receiving collar 18, mounted within anopening 20 in the top of the torso 14 for retentively receiving thefirst end 22a of the curved neck tube 22, and (iii) a second receivingmeans, such as a second receiving collar 24, mounted within an opening21 within the bottom of the head 16 for retentively receiving the secondend 22b of the curved neck tube 22. The curved neck tube 22 is fixedlysecured to one of the retention collars and slidably engaged to theother.

Since the head 16 and torso 14 are preferably constructed of a softflexible material simulating the skin of an infant, the first 18 andsecond 24 retention collars provide the structural rigidity necessary toaccommodate reciprocating movement of the head 16 relative to the torso14.

FIGS. 1-7 show an embodiment in which the curved neck tube 22 is fixedlyengaged to the torso 14 through the first retention collar 18 andslidably engaged to the head 16 by the second retention collar 24. Thefirst retention collar 18 is fixedly secured to the torso 14 within theneck opening 20 and the second retention collar 24 fixedly secured tothe head 16 within the neck opening 21 by any suitable means includingadhesive bonding, bead welding, friction fitting, sewing, stapling, etc.

The first end 22a of the curved neck tube 22 extends into the firstretention collar 18 and abuts against an inner flange 23 on the firstretention collar 18. The first retention collar 18 is fixedly secured inthis position by any suitable means, including adhesive bonding, thermalwelding, friction fitting, a plurality of latches, a retaining ring,matched threading on the curved neck tube 22 and the first retentioncollar 18, snap fasteners, etc.

The second retention collar 24 is effective for sliding and/or pivotingmotion along the curved neck tube 22 between (i) an acceptable restposition, shown in FIG. 6, with the head 16 and torso 14 aligned (i.e.,the central longitudinal axis 100x defined by the first retention collar18 and the central longitudinal axis 200x defined by the secondretention collar 24 axially aligned), and (ii) an unacceptable bent-neckposition, shown in FIG. 7, with the head 16 angled backward from thetorso 14 (i.e., the central longitudinal axis 200x defined by the secondretention collar 24 positioned at a maximum angle α relative to thecentral longitudinal axis 100x defined by the first retention collar18). The neck assembly 12 allows the head 16 to initially pivot backwardabout pivot pins 30 relative to the torso 14 until the head 16 contactsthe torso 14. Once the head 16 contacts the torso 14, the head 16 beginsto move away from the torso 14 in a relatively linear fashion whilecontinuing to pivot about the pivot pins 30 until linear motion isessentially stopped due to the sharpness of the angle at the back side22r of the curved neck tube 22. Thereafter the head 16 continues topivot about pivot pins 30 until the second retention collar 24 contactsan externally extending tab 26 projecting from the front side 22f of thecurved neck tube 12 proximate the second end 22b of the neck tube 12.This combination of linear and pivoting movement of the head 16 relativeto the torso 14 prevents the torso 14 from interfering with continuedmovement of the head 16 as the head 16 bends backwards and provides arealistic bending.

Movement of the second retention collar 24 along the curved neck tube 22is governed by a guiding mechanism (unnumbered). The guiding mechanismincludes (i) a closed end channel 34 within the back surface 22r of thecurved neck tube 22, (ii) a longitudinally extending finger 28 unitarilyformed with the second collar 24 and extending inwardly and downwardlyfrom the second collar 24 for slidable engagement within the channel 34,(iii) a pair of transversely opposed, longitudinally extending, closedend grooves 36 positioned on either side of the channel 34, and (iv)transversely extending pivot pins 30 extending from a distal end(unnumbered) of the finger 28 for slidable engagement within the grooves36. The channel 34 extends from an open end (unnumbered) at the firstend 22a of the curved neck tube 22 to a closed end (unnumbered)proximate a position on the curved neck tube 22 at which the curved necktube 22 begins to curve. Similarly, the grooves 36 each extend from anopen end (unnumbered) at the first end 22a of the curved neck tube 22 toa closed end (unnumbered) intermediate the ends of the channel 34. Theclosed end of each groove 36 is positioned relative to the pivot pins 30so that the pivot pins 30 will slide within the grooves 36 for a defineddistance as the second retention collar 24 sides along the curved necktube 22, without contacting the closed end of the grooves 36. A notch 32is provided in the first retention collar 18 to accommodate finger 28when the first 18 and second 24 retention collars are aligned andpositioned proximate one another in the rest position, as shown in FIG.6.

The pivot pins 30 are cooperatively engaged within the grooves 36 so asto limit the degrees of freedom within which the head 16 can moverelative to the curved neck tube 22. The pivot pins 30 thereby definethe axis (not shown) about which the second retention collar 24 pivotsas the collar 24 moves along the curved neck tube 22, and prevents thesecond retention collar 24 from becoming cocked relative to the curvedneck tube 22 and hanging up on the tube 22.

The curved neck tube 22 may be configured to provide any desired maximumangle α before continued movement of the head 16 is prevented by stop26. A maximum angle α of approximately 60° has been found to provide arealistic effect.

The entire doll 10, including the neck assembly 12, should besufficiently sturdy to withstand rough handling by frustrated careproviders. Hence, the materials of construction and the means forattaching the various components should be selected to ensure that thedoll 10 will survive such anticipated abuse.

The retention collars 18 and 24 and curved neck tube 22 may be formedfrom a number of suitable materials including metals, such as aluminumand steel, and plastics such as polyacrylates (PA),acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymers (ABS), and polyvinylchloride (PVC).

A sensor is provided to detect positioning of the head 16 in anunacceptable flopped or bent position. Any sensor capable of reliablydetecting positioning of the head 16 in a flopped position andtransmitting a bent-neck signal to a central processing unit 50 forreporting a bent-neck occurrence by emitting a perceptible signal, suchas a scream, and/or recording the bent-neck occurrence data forsubsequent review by an educator or other administrator. Exemplarysensors include specifically, but not exclusively, mechanical switchessuch as a toggle switch, magnetic sensors, optical sensors, etc.

The sensor can be positioned so as to be actuated and sense a bent-neckoccurrence at any desired angle a so long as the angle α bears at leastsome resemblance to the angle at which injury is likely with an actualinfant. The trip angle a, below which the head is sensed in anacceptable position and above which the head is sensed in anunacceptable position, is preferably between about 30° and 70°, mostpreferably between about 45° and 60°. A trip angle of less than 30° canresult in false reporting of a bent-neck occurrence as such angles canbe reached during normal safe handling of an infant, while trip anglesof greater than 70° can result in missed reporting of a bent-neckoccurrence as less severe angles are often indicative of a lack ofproper head support.

A specific example of a suitable mechanical sensor is shown in FIG. 2. Amechanical switch 40, connected to a central processing unit 50 by leadwires 42, is provided on the smoothly curved side 22f of the curved necktube 22 proximate the second end 22b of the neck tube 22. The switch isactuated when the head 16 reaches a flopped or bent position proximatethe second end 22b of the curved neck tube 22 and sends a bent-necksignal to the central processing unit 50.

The head position sensor can also be configured to sense the duration ofa bent-neck episode, (i.e., the length of time the head 16 remains in anunacceptable position) and transmitting such duration data to thecentral processing unit 50. The duration data may be used to establishthe intensity and/or duration of the perceptible signal generated duringthe bent-neck episode (e.g., a cry for the first two minutes followed bya piercing scream thereafter until the head 16 is returned to anacceptable position), and/or simply recorded for subsequent review by aneducator or other administrator (e.g., duration of each bent-neckepisode occurring within an assignment period or total duration of allbent-neck episodes occurring within an assignment period).

The neck assembly 12 may also optionally be equipped with a sensor (notshown) capable of measuring the force with which the head 16 is allowedto flop from an acceptable position to an unacceptable position andtransmitting such force data to the central processing unit 50. Theforce data, as with the duration data, may be used to establish theintensity and/or duration of the perceptible signal generated inresponse to the bent-neck occurrence (e.g., a short cry for a bent-neckoccurrence effected with minor force, a long loud cry for a bent-neckoccurrence effected with modest force, and a scream followed by anextended period of crying for a bent-neck occurrence effected withsignificant force), and/or simply recorded for subsequent review by aneducator or other administrator.

Such force data may also be used by the central processing unit 50 toreduce the recording of false bent-neck occurrences (i.e., instanceswhen the head 16 is properly supported but happens to reach the tripangle at a slow speed) by preventing the recording of a bent-neckoccurrence, even though the head 16 reaches the trip angle and activatesthe position sensor 40, unless the force exerted by the head 16 alsoexceeds a predetermined threshold indicative of mishandling or neglect.Similar control on the reporting of false bent-neck occurrences can beachieved by (i) strongly biasing the toggle switch 40 away from thecurved neck tube 22 to prevent tripping of the switch 40 unless thesecond retention collar 24 reaches the toggle switch 40 with sufficientforce to overcoming the biasing force on the switch 40, and/or (ii)biasing the head 16 towards the normal rest position, such as with aspring (not shown) extending through the bore (unnumbered) of the curvedneck tube 12 and connected to both the head 16 and the torso 14, whereinthe force exerted by the biasing means would need to be exceeded inorder for the head 16 to reach the trip angle.

Exemplary sensors include specifically, but not exclusively, linearmotion rheostats or a series of binary switches actuated at differentangles α. Both of these sensors would be effective for sensing and andrecording or reporting acceleration of the head 16 as the head 16 movesalong the curved neck tube 22.

The neck assembly 12 is particularly suited for use in a fully monitoredinfant simulator of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,3118issued to Jurmain et al. The infant simulator of Jurmain et al. includesa central processing unit and appropriate sensors for sensing andrecording a variety of data relevant to care of the infant (e.g., numberof crying episodes and the interval between initiation of crying andsatisfaction of necessary care requirements).

Use

The infant simulator 10 is used to train persons to properly support thehead of a young infant by simply assigning the infant simulator 10 tothe person for an assignment period, typically 24 to 72 hours.

When the infant simulator 10 is constructed and programmed to generate adistress signal in response to the sensing of a bent-neck occurrence,the person is provided with immediate feedback as to their performancein supporting the head 16 of the doll 10.

When the infant simulator 10 is constructed and programmed to recordbent-neck occurrence data and/or bent-neck-duration data, such data canbe reviewed by an educator or other instructor at the end of theassignment period and discussed with the person to whom the doll 10 hadbeen assigned.

The specification is provided to aid in the complete nonlimitingunderstanding of the invention. Since many variations and embodiments ofthe invention may be created and devised without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention, the scope of the invention resides inthe claims hereinafter appended.

I claim:
 1. An infant simulator, comprising:(a) a doll having at least atorso by a neck linkage allowing free rearward repositioning of the headrelative to the torso, as between an acceptable contented position andan unacceptable, harmful, rearwardly bent position and a head floppilyconnected to the torso; (b) a means effective for sensing the floppedposition of the head relative to the torso as between the acceptableposition and the unacceptable position; and (c) a data recording meansin communication with the head-position sensing means effective forrecording a sensed positioning of the head in an unacceptable positionas bent-neck occurrence data.
 2. An infant simulator, comprising:(a) adoll having at least a torso by a neck linkage allowing free rearwardrepositioning of the head relative to the torso, as between anacceptable contented position and an unacceptable, harmful, rearwardlybent position and a head floppily connected to the torso; (b) a meanseffective for sensing the flopped position of the head relative to thetorso as between the acceptable position and the unacceptable position;and (c) a means in communication with the head-position sensing meansfor generating a perceptible distress signal when the head is sensed inan unacceptable position.
 3. The infant simulator of claim 1 furthercomprising a means in communication with the head-position sensing meansfor generating a perceptible distress signal when the head is sensed inan unacceptable position.
 4. The infant simulator of claim 2 or 3wherein the perceptible distress signal is generated throughout adistress period.
 5. The infant simulator of claim 1 or 2 furthercomprising a means for measuring the force required to stop continuedmovement of the head when the head flops from an acceptable position toan unacceptable position.
 6. The infant simulator of claim 5 furthercomprising a data recording means in communication with the forcemeasuring means for recording the measured force as data.
 7. The infantsimulator of claim 2 or 3 further comprising (i) a means for measuringthe force required to stop continued movement of the head when the headflops from an acceptable position to an unacceptable position, and (ii)a means in communication with the force measuring means and the distresssignal generating means for escalating the intensity of the distresssignal based upon the measured force.
 8. The infant simulator of claim 5further comprising a means in communication with the head-positionsensing means and the force measuring means for permitting recording ofa bent-neck occurrence only when both (i) the head is sensed in anunacceptable position, and (ii) a force indicative of neglegent handlingis measured by the force measuring means as the head moved to the sensedunacceptable position; whereby gentle repositioning of the head from anacceptable position to an unacceptable position does not result in therecording of a bent-neck occurrence.
 9. The infant simulator of claim 2or 3 further comprising a means in communication with the forcemeasuring means and the distress signal generating means for permittinggeneration of the distress signal only when both (i) the head is sensedin an unacceptable position, and (ii) a force indicating improperhandling is measured by the force measuring means as the head moved tothe sensed unacceptable position; whereby gentle repositioning of thehead from an acceptable position to an unacceptable position does notresult in generation of a distress signal.
 10. The infant simulator ofclaim 2 or 3 wherein the infant simulator further comprises a datarecording means effective for measuring and recording the duration of abent-neck episode as data.
 11. The infant simulator of claim 2 or 3further comprising (i) a means effective for measuring the duration of abent-neck episode, and (ii) a means in communication with the bent-neckepisode duration measuring means and distress signal generating meansfor escalating the intensity of the distress signal based upon anincreased duration of the bent-neck episode.
 12. The infant simulator ofclaim 4 further comprising (i) a means effective for measuring theduration of a bent-neck episode, and (ii) a means in communication withthe bent-neck episode duration measuring means and the distress signalgenerating means for increasing the duration of the distress periodbased upon an increased duration of the bent-neck episode.
 13. Theinfant simulator of claim 1 or 2 wherein the doll has a shape and weightof an infant.
 14. The infant simulator of claim 1 or 2 wherein (i) thetorso has a top, a bottom, a front and a back, the head is floppablyconnected to the top of the torso, and (ii) the head is floppable onlyfrom front to back relative to the torso.
 15. The infant simulator ofclaim 14 wherein (i) the head occupies a rest position atop the torsowhen the doll is held in an upright position, and (ii) the head isreciprocally floppable only toward the back of the torso from the restposition.
 16. The infant simulator of claim 2 or 3 wherein theperceptible distress signal is expressed as an audible cry.
 17. Theinfant simulator of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein (i) the head occupies anacceptable, static, rest position atop the torso when the doll is heldin an upright position, and (ii) the head occupies an unacceptableposition when the head is positioned at an angle of greater than about30° from the static rest position.
 18. The infant simulator of claim 1or 3 wherein the head-position data recording means is effective forrecording the number of bent-neck occurrences occurring within anassignment period as data.
 19. The infant simulator of claim 10 whereinthe head-position data recording means and bent-neck episode durationmeasuring means are effective for recording the number of bent-neckoccurrences and the total duration of all bent-neck episodes occurringwithin an assignment period as data.
 20. The infant simulator of claim10 wherein the bent-neck episode duration measuring means is effectivefor individually recording the duration of each bent-neck episodeoccurring within an assignment period as data.
 21. An infant simulationsystem, comprising:(a) a doll, including a torso and a head; (b) acurved neck tube; (c) a neck tube retention system, comprising:(1) afirst opening in the torso, including a first means for receiving afirst end of the neck tube; and (2) a second opening in the head,including a second means for receiving a second end of the neck tube;(3) wherein at least one of the first and second receiving meansslidably engages the curved neck tube; and (d) a guide means forrestricting relative movement of the head relative to the torso betweena first position wherein the head is aligned with the torso, and asecond position wherein the head is tilted back relative to the torso;(e) whereby the head is gravitationally biased toward the first positionwhen the torso is in a generally vertical position and gravitationallybiased toward the second position when the torso is in a generallyhorizontal position.
 22. The infant simulation system of claim 21,wherein the doll has a shape and weight of an infant.
 23. The infantsimulation system of claim 21, further comprising:(a) a means effectivefor sensing positioning of the head relative to the torso; and (b) ameans in communication with the head-position sensing means forgenerating a perceptible distress signal when the head approaches thesecond position.
 24. The infant simulation system of claim 21, furthercomprising:(a) a means effective for sensing positioning of the head atthe second position; and (b) a data recording means in communicationwith the head-position sensing means for recording a sensed positioningof the head proximate the second position as data.
 25. The infantsimulation system of claim 21, wherein (i) the torso has a front and aback, and (ii) the neck tube and guide means are configured and arrangedsuch that movement of the head from the first position toward the secondposition is effected by longitudinal movement of the head along thecurved neck tube relative to the torso followed by pivoting of the headabout an axis towards the back of the torso.
 26. The infant simulationsystem of claim 21, wherein (i) the first receiving means comprises afirst collar, (ii) the second receiving means comprises a second collar,(iii) the curved neck tube has a smoothly curved front surface and asharply angled back surface, and (iv) the guide means comprises (A) aclosed end channel in the back surface of the neck tube longitudinallyextending from the first end of the neck tube to proximate a position onthe neck tube at which the neck tube begins to angle, (B) alongitudinally extending finger extending inwardly from the secondcollar for slidable engagement within the channel, (C) a pair oftransversely opposed, longitudinally extending, closed end grooves oneither side of the channel, and (D) laterally extending pivot pinsextending from a distal end of the finger for slidable engagement withinthe grooves until the pivot pins contact the closed ends of the groovesand thereafter effecting pivoting of the second collar about the pivotpins.
 27. The infant simulation system of claim 26 wherein the guidemeans further comprises an outwardly extending tab on the smoothlycurved surface of the neck tube proximate the second end of the necktube for preventing continued movement of the second collar along theneck tube at the second position.
 28. The infant simulation system ofclaim 26 wherein the head and torso are connected to the neck tube suchthat the head and torso are prevented from rotation about thecircumference of the neck tube.